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Prosecutors in the Tito Beltran rape trial have chosen not to formally request that the singer be remanded in custody pending a final verdict from the court of appeal.

The hearing in Beltran's appeal ends on Friday and prosecutors had hinted they wanted the Chilean-Swedish opera star kept in custody until the court delivered its verdict, likely in a few weeks.

During her final arguments on Wednesday, public prosecutor Anna Håkansson, who is handling the rape case involving the nanny of actress Maria Lundqvist, said that Beltran should be remanded in custody – preferably now, but “in any case in connection with the ruling”.

“I flagged for the appeals court that they ought to already be thinking about it now,” Håkansson told the TT news agency.

Håkansson fears that Beltran will try to hide if his guilty verdict is affirmed.

The formal detention request requires that the court of appeal provide a decision in the matter at the same time it announces the verdict in the two cases being addressed in the appeal.

It will likely be several weeks, depending on how long the court decides it needs.

In principle, however, the prosecutors, if they want, can request Beltran be remanded in custody immediately following the conclusion of Friday's hearings.

Under such circumstances, the court can make a decision on the request at any time.

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